HL2 Portals Video

Saw this just amazing video over at EuroGamer via a post at the Linden Blog (Second Life creators). Two sites I've not visited before.

Video is just totally freaky and weird and fun! Haven't even got around to working out if it's a real game yet or a mock-up. I love Half-Life 2 and keep meaning to try the mods. If this is one then I'm not coming down for dinner (turn of phrase...)

I know - lots I haven't said about my various trips abroad. But, I do have a job you know! Later, later :¬)

UPDATE: Portal is part of HL:Episode 2. For those of you who don't know, there has already been Episode 1.

Home again, off again, home again

Well, since my last post I have been home - yes, I made it. Then I was off again to the Netherlands. Today I back home again.

Tomorrow is my anniversary. Ten years that I have been married to my fantastic wife, Nikki. I really have trouble thinking how I managed without her love and support before I met her. It's been a rocky ten years, but has served to strengthen our marriage and love for one another. I can't wait to be home to her and our beautiful children, Joy and Elias. And 'Home' is wherever she is.

Another plane journey to come. The ones back from Rochester (Roch->Newark->Bristol) were pretty bumpy and I didn't enjoy them at all. I hate the take-offs. Can just about bear the landings since I know it will be over soon. I don't think I like flying. I was absolutely shattered on the flight back to Bristol but kept being jerked back from sleep by the turbulance. I'm not even sure it was that bad. The landing at Bristol was all over the place - mostly because of the wind. But we got down.

A welcomed side effect of lack of sleep was that I stayed awake the whole day in the UK and then had a full nights sleep at the right UK time. Thereby pretty much wioing out the Jetlag.

Fortunately, the flight and landing of the KLM to Eindhoven were fairly good. It was a small plane (Fokker 50 turboprop) but seemed to be pretty stable. The landing was the best I've had. Hardly felt it. I wonder if that's because it's a lighter plane or better weather.

Will report on today's landing soon. But my wife and I are off to celebrate 10 years tomorrow - so don't wait up!

Heading home

In about half an hour we start our journey home. The snow has been pretty heavy here but we've heard nothing about cancellations. Hopefully the plane will be half full like it was on the way here and I can spread out and get some sleep. Could really do with it. Of course, we have all the mucking about to do before we even get to Newark... See how we get on. With God's grace we should be getting into our cars in Bristol at about 9.30am GMT (4.30am EST) and arriving back with our families at about lunch time.

Really looking forward to being home again. Here's a late picture from the girl:

Three (four) more days...

Few more days until I return home. Start out on the Friday about 4pm and arrive about 8am in the UK. Hopefully I can sort out some comfortable seating on the flight back and get some sleep. Apparently, it should be a shorter flight (6 hours) than on the way here (8 hours).

It's been snowing in Rochester for the last two days. Beautiful ,but slippy. It came right on the back of an 'ice storm' the like of which I had never seen before. It rains and the rain freezes as soon as it settles. At the weekend on the trip to the cabin, Ash's windscreen wipers were frozen over. It was weird. I'd never seen that before.

The snow is great and it doesn't seem to stop them here like it would do in the UK. Lots of trucks have strap-on Snow Ploughs and they just clear it all out of the way. I didn't see any accidents (and there have been a few apparently) and everyone was driving slowly today and yesterday. Not that the speed limits here are that high. Strange for such a large country.

More on my US musings later. Photos to follow (I've had connection issues at the hotel).

Missing my wife and babies, and have lots of work to do...

24 season 6: 2nd episode over

What can I say? Great stuff... I think it's time I assume radio silence.

24 season 6: 1st episode over

Aaaaah!!! I can't say anything....! Nikki would not let me back in the house.

The thing! And the other thing. And the bloke with other bloke and the chap and guy in the place with the thing!!! Aaaaah!!!!

Brilliant!!

Oh, next episode is coming on....

24 season 6: 2nd break...

Aaaaahh!!! It's brilliant! I'm loving it! My legs gone dead.... Ouch....!!!

24 season 6: Started...

It's started!!! Keifer Sutherland was guest starring in the Simpsons before 24. Sooooo cool! So many 'faces'....

24 season 6: Countdown

Watching the Simpsons on Fox and the 24 countdown clock keeps showing. Cool!

Day 8

Day 8 was spent mostly on the road.

We were invited to spend the day at Matt's family cabin. Due partly to a mad Iranian at the wheel of the car we were travelling in and partly to the fact that it was a little way we only just got there by about 2pm. We spent a very pleasant but short time at the cabin on Seneca Lake (pictures to come) with Matt and his famliy.

I am now back at the hotel and find myself in the enviable position of having some time to myself with the premier of 24 season 6 coming up at 8pm EST. More on that later...

American TV Ads: Old Spice

One of the strange this things I've found about watching TV here in the US, (not that I've had much of a chance!), is how funny alot of the adverts are. I assumed that they would mostly be annoying "buy-now!" kind of adverts, or of the preachy/pseudo-science/we're-doing-this-for-you're-own-good-not-to-make-money variety. I was, of course, right for the most part but it's surprising how quickly you block them out. But the well made ads are funny and surprisingly subtle. I guess they figure that's how to reach my demographic.

I saw this Old Spice advert with actor Jack Cambell and it had me in stitches in the hotel. I especially like the extended longship picture in the background. Well, take a look whilst I go and buy some aftershave...

Day 7

Joy's beautiful drawing for day 7.

Tripod perform at a Comedy Festival

Aussie comedy group Tripod performing their song "Make You Happy Tonight" at a Comedy Festival Nikki sent me the link to this. A classic love somg for the modern age. Don't quite know why she thought of me...

Day 6 picture with hamster

Here is the picture for day 6. Those more observant observers will notice a rodent complementing the digit so beautifully drawn and coloured by my wonderful children, Elias and Joy. The Hamster in question is 'Pinsley' that Joy named after the road on which we live.

I am half-way through my trip to the States (Rochester) and for the most part am quite enjoying it. We have been working very hard. Training from 8am to 5 or 6pm and then usually meeting with colleagues from 6pm to 9 or 10pm. Most of the evening meetings take place outside the office at a restaurant or someones house and are normally chilled out more that the training. But they are still meetings and I need to pay attention to _most_ of what's being said.

Matt, who has been leading the training, has been especially accommodating to Kieran and myself. We have spent a little time with his wife and beautiful kids which has been a great antidote to the Hotel-Office-Restaurant-Hotel pattern of most of the days.

Tomorrow we are hoping to spend some time out at a cabin by a lake. This should be real wind-down time. We'll cook-up some chilli and walk and shoot and row. Not sure what we'll be shooting at. There's a small waterfall nearby that is supposed to be very pretty.

Last night, whilst waiting to get into a restaurant with 11 others I was encouraged to join with three others in some barbershop singing. Long time admirer of the art but never having tried it I had an immensely satisfying time learning to sing a part and joining with the three other chaps singing away. The complements we got were fantastic and Scott, the leader was brilliant in encouraging me to sing stuff I thought I wouldn't be able to
as well as the incredible memory he had for all the parts. We might be trying again this evening so more on that later. I might even record it since I managed to charge up my iRiver last night.

Off to the Mall for some retail therapy and probably my only shopping trip whilst here. Have a big lon list somewhere...

Day 5 piccie...

just spoken to Nikki. The boy is still sick but being naughty. Which is a good sign. Miss my wife and girl and boy. xxxx

Day 4... sick boy

It's day four and the boy is sick. Everyone was fine when I called the day before. But minutes after my call
the boy began throwing up. Asked for his daddy... awww! Back in seven days-ish.

Picture for day three

Here's the picture for day three from my girl and boy. Elias was very smiley when he spoke to me on the phone today. Miss the all terribly, but they are all doing well without me... hmmm!

Days one and two

My beautiful daughter, Joy, is doing me a picture a day whilst I'm away. Here's one and two:

Flew out fine. Getting back may be an issue.

Well, we got out of Bristol Ok. In fact, despite Bristol Council's best efforts to make getting to the airport as difficult as possible (my tip: ignore the signs and plan your route yourself), when I got to the airport it was plain sailing. Their was hardly anyone in the departure lounge and flight was half-full. I got an entire three seat row to myself! As we came into land at Newark, NY, the pilot told us Bristol had closed for at least ten days. Should be ready for our return, hopefully.

In the meantime, my thoughts really are with the managers and staff and their families as everyone tries to get the place up and running again. It's going to hit the airport hard and I hope that they manage to pull through with out too much impact.

More on the States soon. But, I'm here and very busy - and enjoying it!

Off tomorrow... I think

Well, off tomorrow. We'll see if we actually get any further than Bristol Airport. Never been to the States before. Never been away from my boy or girl for more than five days. I'll let you know how I get on...

GoogleMaps Bible mash up

BibleMap.org is a great GoogleMaps and Bible mashup that allows you to view the text ESV (English Standard Version) or KJV (King James Version) alongside the google map representation of the area your reading. Very good. Really adds to the text to be able see the locations on the map.

Thanks to GoogleMaps Mania for the link.

Great timing...

Well, I am just about to leave for the States on Sunday. Guess where I'm leaving from? That's right, Bristol airport. The airport that's just had several airlines cancel flights from there since the runway refurb was not up to their safety standards.

Apparently, planes have been skidding when landing in the wet

Continental, the airline we're flying with has NOT cancelled flights. I'm not sure whether to take that as a good or a bad sign...

Oh, the timing!

Sweet VM directory mapping

One of the things that I REALLY like about the VMware Workstation 6 Beta that I mentioned yesterday is the VM directory mapping feature. Tiny thing that is refered right at the bottom of the Release Notes, but I think it's great. Basically, what it does is allow you to map to a drive on a VMware Image from the host machine without having to turn it on. In fact you have to remember to close it before you turn on the machine.

Again, take a look at ThinComputing.net's screencast for a demonstration.

Antony's One-handed Typing guide

My brother's one-handed typing guide takes commitment and time to apply. But knowing how gorgeous his children are it looks well worth it.

Snap links

Found a great little tool called Snap that brings your boring URLs to life. Really easy to install. Just slap some code in the head tag of your html. Lovely.

Thanks to TechCrunch for demonstrating it.

Flight details - Airliners.net rocks!

Going out to New York State next week and I like to be prepared ahead of time. Like knowing where the toilets on the plane are. Crucial... So I checked out the specs of the aircraft I'll be traveling in: Boeing 757-200 and Embraer ERJ-145.

Just great to be able to get so much info on the plane! Though I was a little surprised that the 757 seems fairly small for an Atlantic hop. I thought at least a 747.

Airliners.net rocks! As does Wikipedia, of course.

UPDATE: Thanks to David (see comment below) I have discovered Seatguru.com and thave been able to find the plane (type) that I will be travelling on! See here.

VMware workstation Beta released

VMware has just released there Workstation 6 Beta out to the world to try. It's free for, I think, 30 days to try out after filling in a short questionaire.

Features of interest include:

• Multiple monitor support - interesting to see an application of this
• Automation API - for launching applications in VM from Eclispe and Visual Studio
• Better drag and drop facilities - including cross platform

More new features in the Release Notes.

Michel Roth of thincomputing.net has a neat little screencast (flash) that you can view some of the new features.